Origin of Kings and Queens
by Elkpelt the Wolf-Chalk
Summary: Plagued by visions of doom her whole life Griselda predicts a calamity the kingdom has never seen before, the catch though is... nobody believes her. The Great Spirits say a boy named Takatifu will leave the forest to fight by her side against one of the most dangerous evils of all time. If they wish to survive these dark times, they will need to join all of Africa under one era...
1. Chapter 1 - Omen

**Author's Note:** Hello and welcome to my little pet project here. I've been working on it for several years and lately been really into it thanks multiple reasons. After a ton of awful things in my real life I feel some creative writing is in order to correct it. The _Hurts Like Hell_ rewrite will be on its way soon once season 2 of Lion Guard ends simply because I want any events relating to the hyenas and such in canon to mesh with my fan verse, not the other way around. _Never Alone_ will be due for an update as well too soon but I digress. Due to troll spam guest reviews will need to be under watch as I want to prevent pointless fighting among my reviews over silly fictional characters.

"All The Light Touches" is a prequel to Lion King based on the semi-canon comic of "A False Ancestor" that mentioned the First King of the PrideLands and a hyena war. As such the lions on this story are far into the past of the Lion King universe as super distant ancestors and eventual founders of the Ndona PrideLands we see in the movies and show. I have ref sheets of these characters on my dA and will awnser any questions you have about these OCs and the universe of this story. I don't know how popular OC based fics are here on FF but I know my watchers on dA have been wanting to know the story of Griselda and Takatiifu for quite a bit now so I thought, why not?

Please leave me a review as your crumbs inspire me to write. ALSO one last thing. Please do not attack me over updates, you are not entitled to my personal time though I greatly appreciate that people like my work. I have a life outside of writing for a fictional universe that I don't even paid for so please have the decency to respect and have sympathy if my updates are not frequent. I will try to post as much as I can but remember I am only human and this is a hobby! Anyway apologies and I hope you enjoy chapter 1 ~

* * *

 **Chapter 1 -** [ _Omen_ ]

 _"This Kingdom will fall..."_

 **Edit:** Changed the scenery setting to an ancient temple, plus explained it better because it was hard to tell where everyone was, kind of imagine Jungle Emporer Leo's but way more broken and spaced up. I decided considering the PrideLands aren't this place it could make for some fun world building and scenery to explore for animals who'd never seen humans ~

* * *

Everything came to her in blotted images, flashing by in seconds yet for her it felt like eons. Her eyes were void of pupils, staring as in unseeing at the direction of the sky. She could see the heavens themselves as among them were lions made of stars and swirling blue clouds, speaking in voices she could not hear no matter how strained her ears were.

Suddenly all at once they boomed louder than the thunder of a rainy day. Griselda was so startled she nearly was knocked from her trance but still some how she remained tethered to this ethereal realm.

"This kingdom will fall," the voices told her without a sign of hesitation. "No one will be prepared for it and no matter what you say or do you will not be able to stop it's destruction."

"Many will die."

A flash of blood and the moans of the dying met her senses, she could taste the acrid metallic texture on her tongue.

"A mighty dynasty brought to its knees by one weak link."

She could see many faces, she thought could distinguish them yet at the same time they were so vague she waa sure they were strangers.

"But you will not be alone, young princess. He will come for you soon."

 _"Who are you? How did you sneak in here without Mustafa catching you?"_

 _"Sneak? Oh... I just slipped in through the thickets there."  
_

She could hear her own voice in her head and the one who was new and unfamiliar.

"United you will bring in a new era."

A face... a brown lion cub stared at her from the depths of her mind with a blonde mass of hair on his head. His eyes were a striking blue and she was fixated, enraptured as she stare into them. He was gone as quickly as the image came, lingering even if it had been less than a moment. Her heart clenched and she wished she could will her voice to call out for the boy, beg he not go away, that every ounce of her being told her she needed him here. The voices seemed to sense her pain and they spoke to reassure her but it gave little comfort.

"His life will be yours." The voices sounded so sure, so confident of the fact. It left a empty feeling in her stomach that gnawed away at it like acid rain.

 _"Why must he not be given the choice? Why is he instantly mine?"_ The words were spoken softly and were gripped with intense emotion.

"He will _choose_ to leave the forest and everything he holds dear. His heart will lead him onward."

As a crown princess she knew that meant little, choice was all but an illusion when you were royalty and for one chosen by the spirit realm she knew it was all the same. Griselda stared blindly up at the lions in the sky with blatant upset in her unseeing eyes. _"You curse me but I refuse to let you curse him with my burden too! Leave him alone! I beg of you!"_

"If we are to survive into this new age sacrifices must be made..." Like wind it was buffeted away and she had to strain her ears to pick up upon the words the voices were speaking. _"United you stand... divided you shall fall, princess."_

She felt as if her very soul was being pushed back into her body, like strings were threaded across her limbs and she were a puppet being forced to cower to the floor. Griselda yelled out at the heavens as they ascended higher and higher away from her, she was falling at a rapid pace and feebly she reached a paw out to grab at the stars. Their faces gave no emotions away at the struggle, the masses made of stars and clouds receded into nothingness, echoing her name over and over again into the void. Screaming did nothing and before she knew it everything went dark...

 _"Griselda!"_

 _"Oh thank goodness I think she's coming to..."_

 _"Princess? Can you hear us?"_

It was like waking from a brief sleep, yet the dream lingered with an intensity she doubted she would ever forget anytime soon. She saw the old ancient walls of the temple, the stone pillars looming over them and the expansion of night sky breaking through the mostly shattered ceiling. She was no longer in the realm of the spirits. There was something stuffed into her mouth and she lay splayed out on her side in the cave. She could taste blood in her mouth and she wondered if it were the remains of the dream or not. The worried faces of her mother, father and attendant hovered nearby as they crowded closely to check on the lion cub. She lifted her head slowly and Mustafa gingerly tugged the moss ball gag out of her mouth.

"I'm sorry my lady but we were afraid you would bite your tongue off," the Shadow Marozi said, eyebrows drawn out in concern. "How are you feeling, child?" She focused shakily on the lioness she knew since she could even remember, the red-furred face and scruffy features, the sharp angles of her cheeks and jaw and eyes.

"What happened?" She asked in a low voice, it sounded raspy. She was surprised at how dry her mouth felt in that moment. Mustafa tenderly touched Griselda's body, checking her over with expertise to see if there were any further damages she missed since Griselda fell unconscious. She couldn't help but wince in mild pain, her temples ached something fierce.

"You had another seizure," A lean and slender lion with bright white fur and flowing black mane came into focus. Obi, her father, said the words gently. He peered close into her eyes before turning to address Mustafa. "Will she be alright, Mustafa?" His green gaze bore into hers intently, worried for the health of his daughter.

"Other than needing some fluids and rest she should be alright, there shouldn't be another episode anytime soon," she counseled the king wisely, nodding. Mustafa with the softness of a mother idly brushed a paw against Griselda's face in a soothing motion. As her attendant, Griselda had been in her care for all her life, she pretty much was a second mother to the lion cub. The gesture brought comfort to her shaken self.

"She will be _alright_?'" Maisha asked in outrage, turning on her heel to glare at the other lioness. "She was unconscious for half an hour! You call that alright? These seizures of hers are lasting even longer now! You call yourself a Shadow Marozi yet can't use any of that supposed _magic_ to treat Griselda?"

The way she said 'magic' was not missed by Griselda who now pushed herself up half heartedly, trying to shake off the jitters the vision left her with. Obi was at her side instantly, nosing the cub to sit upright fully.

"You know for a fact I am doing all I can for the princess," Mustafa told Maisha in a firm yet respectful tone. "There is only so much I can do when these attacks happen. It's not something I can just poof away if that's what you believe all Shadow Marozi are capable of. We are not witches." Her red eyes squinted. "Didn't you say many times my queen you took no stock in my people's legends, anyway?"

Maisha bore her teeth at the dark pelted lioness, hackles lifting along her spine in distress. "If Griselda dies I won't ever forgive you, Marozi." Mustafa did not flinch as some spittle hit her face. "Mark my words you will find a way to cure this! You say you are studying methods but you've yielded nothing! What will it take for you to finally get a reliable treatment?!"

"Don't push yourself, my little snowflake," he told Griselda before turning to stare sternly at the conflict Maisha spurred on. "That is enough, stand down Maisha. Mustafa is right, there is only so much she can do."

Maisha's were ablaze with anger and intense frustration as her eyes jumped from Mustafa to her cub that watched them with eyes that were both blank and confused. The golden lioness eventually exhaled a heavy breath through her nostrils before turning away to tend to Griselda. Griselda thought she could see the hazy shimmer of tears gathering in the corners of her eyes, Maisha blinked them away with a sigh that sounded incredibly pained.

"Forgive me, my husband. My anger was aimed unfairly, I'm merely concerned when others clearly are not so." The subtle jab made Obi frown but Mustafa did not react, only quietly stood aside like a good royal servant. "She's been having these episodes so long... surely a solution must present itself soon or else..."

"What matters right now is that Griselda is comfortable," the white lion king said in a cool collected fashion. Mustafa knew her king well enough to know it was a mask to hide his fears. He too was concerned for Griselda, that was clear itself but the weight of it he carried so both wife and daughter would not find need to tremble. "We will deal with it as it comes, she is alert and conscious, I will take the fact she wakes as a source of comfort for my thoughts."

Maisha looked tiredly down at Griselda, helplessness settling with a intense weight on her shoulders. "You are right, Obi," she said but the words sounded robotic, not truly believing the faith her husband tried dishing out.

Mustafa met Griselda's gaze and the princess gave a violent shiver. The Shadow Marozi approached carefully and looked on with concern on her weary face. "What is it, child? Do you still feel strangely?"

Griselda felt her breath catch in her chest and for a moment she forgot how to take in air with her lungs. She frantically looked at the adults in the den, pleading her gaze dragged across each one. "The kingdom is going to be destroyed!" She suddenly said in a sharp voice, the word 'destroyed' breaking apart in a squeak. "The Lions in the Sky! They... they...! They told me! We are all going to die!"

Obi and Maisha exchanged worried looks as Griselda continued to shout at the top of her lungs that the end of the world was on its way. Tears welled up in her eyes as she begged for them to believe her. The cub had gotten to her paws in the midsts of her hysteria, grabbing for the nearest person who happened to be Obi. Her claws pricked the fur on his arm.

"Father! Mother! You have to believe me this time! _**Please**_!" A sob broke forth from her mouth as she clung to her father, as if letting go would shatter her into a million pieces.

"Hush, my little snowflake. It was all a bad dream," he told her in a soothing voice, pressing his muzzle against the curve of her shivering neck. His face lifted to look at Maisha and Mustafa who watched on. Mustafa's face was eerie and unreadable as she focused on the cub, as if she'd just seen a ghost.

"Your seizure must have caused another hallucination," Maisha murmured with a weary expression. She touched Griselda's face gently with her paw, drawing the cub away from her father so she could hold Griselda. "Now, now... Calm yourself Griselda. Our kingdom is safe, nothing will come to harm it."

"No! No! No! You don't understand, mother! It will come and we can't do anything but prepare for it!" Griselda shrieked, looking up at her mother in distraught.

Maisha's gaze hardened and she grit her teeth. "Enough of this nonsense, child! These silly visions of yours are nothing but tomfoolery. You are tired, you are weak, stop thinking every dream you have is a omen of awful things to come!"

Griselda flinched and went silent, staring wide-eyed up at her mother. "Mother..."

"No, don't _mother_ me Griselda. You will stop it right now, I don't want to hear another word of this! The kingdom ending, as if it could ever happen! First it was other smaller things but I've had enough of it!" Maisha's words were spoken low and harsh, making the point clear she would not listen any longer. Griselda couldn't blame her entirely, after all, how many times had such an event happened before one's mind would break beneath the weight of it all? Maisha was stressed and tired, she was afraid for her daughter.

Obi shook his head in a sympathetic manner and turned to address Mustafa. Griselda already knew her softer, kinder father would not listen either. He would not harshly dish out reprimands like Maisha but Obi was also one who thought entirely logical too. Her mother and father were on the same page and it made everything much more difficult for the struggling crown princess.

"Mustafa... please stay with Griselda for now. I will take Maisha away, I feel she needs time to digest the situation. I know our daughter will be safe in your loyal paws." He gave her a smile, tired but still a true gesture of the fondness and faith he had for the Shadow Marozi. Mustafa bowed her head respectfully to her king, the lioness settling herself besides Griselda.

"I shall protect her with my life," the all too familiar response came tumbling from her lips, one she spoke from trained habit and refined through time. "I will prepare the princess a herbal poultice to soothe her emotional distress, she will need some sleep after such a hard night... Would you like for me to make one for queen Maisha, my liege?" Though her relationship with the queen was often strained she did care for the golden lioness' health and welfare. She could see Maisha was emotionally and physically exhausted though the nightmare of the evening would most likely keep her far from sleep.

"I need no such—"

"That would be very kind of you, Mustafa. Thank you. Leave it in our chambers if you could."

"Of course, your majesty," Mustafa replied, not missing a beat. "Fear not, Griselda is protected here with me." The spotted lioness idly drew Griselda closer, wrapping her as if encased by walls with her muscular front paws.

"I would not have it any other way." He began to turn away, missing the envious stare in the glow of his wife's red eyes as she stare Mustafa down. "Maisha, come. Leave them, we must attend to your needs now. Griselda is safe and stabilized."

"Yes, of course my husband," Maisha said softly, face void of any emotion as she finally spun on her heel to pursue Obi out of the den.

Mustafa watched her and the king leave with alert eyes before turning to the the little princess in her arms. Griselda made a soft noise. "What was that, my lady?" Mustafa looked patiently into her eyes, not rushing Griselda as the cub composed herself.

"I know what I saw, Mustafa," Griselda uttered in a small voice, she still sounded so sure even despite its melancholic tone.

"What did they tell you this time?" Mustafa asked her in a quiet voice, eying the area carefully to make sure there were no eavesdroppers nearby. If anyone knew Mustafa was putting faith in the princess' visions it would be seen as instant insubordination. Very many few took stock in Griselda's future sight, Mustafa was one of those rare few. As a servant to the king and queen however there was little Mustafa could do publicly even if she wished she could.

"This kingdom will fall, no matter what we say or do it will be brought to its knees, wiped clean as if it never existed," Griselda said in a hushed voice, eyes lifting to gaze up at the temple ceiling. She'd been staring in that direction before the vision struck her so horribly, her eyes glowing golden for a moment before she fell into the painful convulsions and fevered mumbling that followed. The voices had called to her so strongly and without much willpower she had bent her spirit to reach for them in response, a fifth sense was the only way she could describe it, an instinct that surpassed merely sight, taste, scent and touch. "Its already coming true... mother and father don't believe me. They never believe me. Even... even when I told them Jua would cripple her leg if she went on that hunt or that Tau was going to kill himself after his wife bled out from childbirth..."

Mustafa's eyes were soft with sympathy for the little princess, she leaned down to touch her face with her muzzle. "My Griselda everything will be well... I won't let anything happen to you."

"I know you won't let anything happen to _me_ , Mustafa but... what about everyone _else_? What about all the others we are going to lose when this... _thing_ comes for us?" She met the eyes of the wise Shadow Marozi, causing Mustafa to frown in deep thought, contemplating what could even be done if those being warned would not believe them.

She remembered the many murals within the Shrine of the Shadow Arts, depicting ancient Shadow Marozi history and lore within paintings even older than the wisest elephants. A legend passed on from the dawn of her people of a Seer, one who would be born every twenty generations to whoever held the throne of this land. It should have been a Shadow Marozi blessed with this future sight but they no longer ruled the land, it was Griselda's people who now lay claim to this kingdom. After a complicated duel for dominance the Mbinguni Pride lay powerful over the ancient Shadow Marozis who'd inhabited these lands. Their kingdom stretched even farther than the sun could set, with many small settlements of lions forming who all bowed before king Obi and his bride. Born from a mighty line of white and pale coated lions, they were as ethereal and wise as the spirits some would say.

And as such it was why the little off-white colored cub would be the one born with the legendary Miracle Eyes. Entrusted with great power by the great spirits to see into the future, speak with those long passed and to peer into the hearts of others to learn their true character. This was only legend of course but Mustafa as a Shadow Marozi took these stories very seriously, even if many others would not. It did not help this legend was not of Griselda's family line, they scoffed at the very notion of higher power and magic. They had claimed this land many generations ago.

Their dynasty was mighty and it was strong, how could one truly believe a kingdom of this size could some day just... end?

"There will be a boy... he's going to come to us... soon, at least that's what they said," Griselda continued to recite what the vision had told her. "He..."

Mustafa gently nudged her when she lost her courage suddenly, encouraging Griselda she need not stop her words. "He...?" Mustafa ushered in a motherly tender voice. "What shall he do for us, child?"

"He will help us survive into this new era they spoke of," she told Mustafa, the cub anxiously gripped her claws into the fur of Mustafa's arm. "I did not get a name from them but... I think I will know when he finds me."

"Then that means all we can do for now is wait," Mustafa said as she looked at Griselda, digesting what the princess told her. It was not the first time she counseled Mustafa over a vision and usually Griselda found comfort when Mustafa could offer words of wisdom, even if there was not much her attendant could do to stop the vision from coming into fruition. This time though Mustafa seemed adamant to prevent this vision from coming to pass, Griselda could see it in her determined red eyes. "And take each day as it comes... did they tell you what will bring the Mbinguni pride to its end?"

It killed Mustafa to keep prodding for information but it was important she got as much details as she could. Griselda gave a hesitant nod of her head. "They said a weak link... I saw many faces but all of them were so vague I couldn't even recognize them. They were so familiar though, Mustafa."

"A weak link..." Mustafa echoed softly, Griselda nodded her head again. "What could it mean..."

"Perhaps... someone in our own walls?" Griselda replied, nearly a whisper as she chanced a side glance. "A kingdom is only as strong as its people."

"We will need to keep a close eye then for any sabotores," she decided, dipping her head as she made the vow. "I have eyes and ears all over this kingdom, we should be able to clue in on any traitors or fear mongers."

"Thank you, Mustafa." She felt Griselda relax in her arms, feeling reassured that someone was taking her seriously. "I'm glad you believe me," Griselda added, the tone carrying a weight to it that Mustafa did not miss. She hugged the cub close to herself, heart sick that the child was so tortured at such a tender age. A time when children got to enjoy life by playing games and learning about the world, instead Griselda had been plagued by visions ever since she could first open her eyes, forcing the cub to toughen and grow up faster than she should have. "I feel so _alone_." The words were choked, hinting tears wanted to come.

"You aren't alone, you silly girl," Mustafa told her sternly in her ear, throat tight with emotion. "You'll never be alone in this. I swear my life on it."

She felt Griselda nod against her chest and Mustafa pulled the cub away so she could look at her face. "I just... I hope its not too late."

"It will never be too late so long as you still breathe air," the Shadow Marozi said to Griselda, looking as dedicated as her words sounded. "You are a princess and as such your birthright gives hope that this kingdom will live on... no matter what comes."

Griselda couldn't find the words to convey how much she appreciated Mustafa in this moment but it seemed no words were necessary, as Mustafa only smiled at the girl. "Now... I'm going to get you ready to sleep. You have faced quite the hardship today and need to rest it off those little shoulders of yours."

"I don't think I could sleep even if I wanted to, Mustafa," Griselda sighed, shaking her head. She looked far from the young child that she was with her weary expression and taut jaw.

"Its a good thing I know plenty about herb remedies then." Mustafa got to her paws, letting Griselda go so she could prepare a poultice to help Griselda relax. "Those mandrills may seem kooky but they are very smart, I am glad our people aligned with one another. The Grass Walls troop have always been good friends to us."

"Our people?" Griselda cocked her head curiously.

"I forget, your pride are not as open to other species as we Shadow Marozi," Mustafa mused as she used her paws to combine many colorful looking plants together. She used her strong jaw to break open a melon, pouring half of its shell onto the pile of mushy herbs. "There was a time even we bore our teeth at those different than us but unity always serves us better. A common goal to stitch everyone together to stand strong."

"Father has been trying to make peace with the hyena tribes lately," Griselda said, hoping she did not sound defensive. "He's even wanted to issue the royal guard to shadow the herds to make sure nobody hunts for sport."

"Your father is unique for a lion of his time," Mustafa agreed, a fondness to the words that didn't sound appropriate for a servant serving their vassal."The royal court often are at a loss once he sets his mind to something."

Griselda made a thoughtful face but it was disturbed when Mustafa finally finished the herb mixture. She left half of it in the hollow shell of the fruit gourd, Griselda wondered if that was going to her mother so the queen could rest for the night. Mustafa approached Griselda with the medicine and offered it to her, smiling in amusement at the disgusted grimace that passed through her shape. Griselda's red eyes shot up to Mustafa, as if asking without words if she really had to ingest that smelly goopy concoction.

There was a nod from her guardian and with a sigh to steel herself, Griselda quickly downed the herbal mixture. It tasted as funny as it smelled and looked, causing Griselda to shudder. Mustafa looked pleased that Griselda had braved the mixture even if the cub gave her a pitiful glare and pout. The older lioness offered Griselda some water to drink next from a hollowed out stone that she had nearby, Grielda drank it eagerly to quench her dry throat and to relieve the nasty flavor on her tongue.

"Now that should kick in momentarily, its a rather strong sleeping agent and relaxant. You'll be sleeping peacefully soon," Mustafa told Griselda, gently ruffling a paw through the princess' long scruffy cheek fur. "We better get you settled to sleep in the mean time, then I must get the rest of the herbs to your parents' chambers."

"Will I see you when I wake up?" Griselda asked, her eyes spoke that she did not wish to be alone, even if she was to just sleep.

"I will return long before you wake, princess." Mustafa nudged the cub with her muzzle to get her walking. "Let's get you out of the nursing ward and to your sleeping space." When Griselda had fallen unconscious into convulsions the cub was brought to the area of the abandoned temple where the critically sick were kept to wait out and observe the seizure. Now it was time to get her to where she could sleep peacefully and away from prying eyes.

The place in which the royal Mbinguni pride lived was an ancient building that crumbled from age, neglect and the rough passage of time itself. Pillars made of stone stood everywhere, walls once solid were broken in places. Strange pictures depicted creatures that Griselda had never seen before that walked on two feet like apes and seemed to tell stories that no animal could understand, a dead language she surmised. Nobody knew what had made these structures but her ancient ancestors had claimed this strange temple as their own. Nature took over the temple, colorful green foliage climbing along the walls and pillars and ceiling, creating a eerily beautiful sight. A stairway lead to where the royal family usually dwelled at the very top of the ancient temple. The temple itself was a series of many old rooms and deep spaces. Mustafa found the doorway that made Griselda's space that was covered by long tendrils of vine like a door cover once they finished scaling the many steps. The king and queen's private chambers shared this trait, allowing the royals privacy when they were away from the kingdom's open gaze. There was a nice view of the stars from the ceiling, as there was a open space above the roof that let in moonlight. It was also there encase of emergency exits if the need ever arose.

Mustafa lead the now drowsy Griselda to the stone mass that made her bed, lined in sweet smelling flowers, soft moss and downy feathers so she could rest cozily. Grabbing the cub by the scruff, Mustafa hoisted her up and pushed her tentatively to lay down. Bleary red eyes shone up at Mustafa who only smiled back softly.

"You will be right as rain, love," Mustafa reassured the cub, bowing her head in a respectful manner. "I will begin preparations to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity."

Griselda nodded her head against the stone as she lay, curling up into a ball to keep warm. "Okay Mustafa..."

"You tell me right away if any more visions come to you," the spotted lioness said to Griselda, firm yet soft with her words. "You won't be alone in this, my lady."

Her response was all but soft breathing, the girl had finally succumbed to sleep, the herbs kicking in. She would sleep peacefully through the night, that Mustafa knew. Looking closely Mustafa could see the dark bags beneath her eyes and the strain furrowing of her brows, Griselda had many demons she was facing for one so small and young. Mustafa gave the cub a gentle kiss on the brow before departing to go leave the herb poultice for her parents to have. Mustafa tried to keep her mind off the vision Griselda passed forth to her and found it hard, instead she stared blankly ahead in the darkness, fearing silently what was going to befall her homeland...

 _"A weak link... but who?"_

She heaved a heavy breath, eyes beseeching the sky despite the massive stone ceiling hiding the many stars she was praying towards. "Great Ancestors above I ask of you, give me strength... Give _us all_ strength in order to make it to the end..."

* * *

 _ **Name meaning log** : _[To avoid character spoilers new names will be added at the bottom so you aren't spoiled over who appears in the chapter]

 _Griselda - "dark battle" or "gray maiden warrior"_

 _Maisha - "prosperous"_

 _Obi - "heart"_

 _Mustafa - "the chosen one"_

 _Takatifu - "sacred" or "chosen"_


	2. Chapter 2 - Curiosity

**Author's Note:** We were introduced to Griselda and now its time to meet the other lion cub mentioned in the story summary ~ I had fun with this chapter, it feels good to finally write Takatifu out after all these years ~ Please be sure to leave a review if you liked my content, every little bit helps my moral. There will be more new faces introduced to come here ~

 **The Peanut Gallery:** [I will answer any reviews/questions here ~]

 **Watership's Nightwish Rat:** I am glad you like the story so far ~ Hopefully you will continue to follow it and enjoy future installments.

* * *

 **Chapter 2** \- [ _Curiosity_ ]

 _"How come I'm the only lion here?"_

* * *

"Takatifu! _Takatifu!_ Oh, where is that naughty cub?" The black leopard trotted through the thick foliage with long strides, green eyes jumping to and fro as she tried to find the wayward lad. Ashera scowled so deeply one would be convinced she had tasted something sour.

She made a thoughtful face as she stare up at the canopy of trees, their thick fronds kept out most of the sun. It left a splotchy amount of shadow through the forest. Some birds flew over head squawking loudly, in this moment Ashera wished she had wings to fly, it would make scouting out Takatifu easier than the far cry from how it was.

She heard a rustling of leaves from a nearby tree and what sounded like a whisper of breath, Ashera rotating her ears in a perplexed fashion. The sound a branch bending under the weight of something moving followed after. Suddenly she felt a weight crash down upon her head and in surprise she fell to the ground, Ashera sprawling out her body out as she wiggle like a tipped buffalo. Bewildered she looked at her attacker and puffed her cheeks out at the audacity of it all.

 _That little_ _ **sneak**_ _!_ Ashera thought as she stare at the infuriating little cub.

"Haha! I got you, Ashera. I'm getting good aren't I?" Takatifu stood over her head with a cheeky grin, the brown lion cub clad in spots with a blonde mass of mane sprouting at his crown. His cheery smile was contagious, even if Ashera was doing her best to stay annoyed with the boy. "I'm going to ambush better than any leopard at this rate." He puffed his chest out with pride, bright blue eyes twinkling.

"You little hairball, I've been looking for you all morning!" Ashera exclaimed, getting up so she could gently cuff the cub over the ear. He only laughed loudly, ducking away and reaching a paw out to swat her back. "With those hyenas around lately you should know better than to wander off, Takatifu. Haven't I told you, time and time again that you aren't pardoned from being someone's chow?"

Takatifu didn't look too concerned, he only looked at Ashera with that adorable little grin of his. "Hyenas can't climb trees," he told her with a casual roll of his shoulders. "Sides, I got you to protect me," he told Ashera with warmth to the words, true devotion splashed upon his face. Having raised the youth from infancy, Takatifu viewed Ashera with adoration that a child gave its parent, though Takatifu was well aware Ashera was not his mother. It did not filter the strength of the bond the two of them shared though, even if it was a leopard raising a lion.

Ashera wanted to be mad at him but she couldn't bring herself to be. She shook her head, trying to repress a smirk. "Brat."

"Yeah but I'm _your_ brat," Takatifu teased right back, knowing his guardian all too well to take offense of her playful jab.

"Unfortunately," Ashera quipped, the corners of her maws quirking high. "Maybe I should trade you for a turtle, at least I won't lose sight of it when it runs off."

Takatifu pouted his lips at the leopard, the cub knocking her arm with his small paw. "Well tough luck, you're the one who picked me out. You are stuck with me, Ashera!"

"I guess I'll need to find a way to survive this punishment then," she told him, leaning down to drag her sand papery tongue through his growing mane. Takatifu pushed her away with a indifferent huff.

"Ashera, you're messing up my mane!"

"You need to groom it more, it looks much more akin to that hornbill nest we saw yesterday," she chuckled, letting him go with a fond nudge.

Takatifu absently touched his paw to the tufts at his head, running the digits through the soft golden locks. "I don't look _that_ bad," he told her with a stubborn look. "You act like I never bathe."

The leopard didn't react, only shook her head with a fond chuckle. She began to walk off down the forest trail, tail swaying at her heels as she gesture Takatifu to follow behind. "Come on you little rascal," Ashera said. "We have to go look for lunch, old man Waliopotea is depending on us to bring him something."

Takatifu perked at the mention of going hunting, a skill Ashera had only just began to teach him, hence his little ambush stunt. She always said leopards depended on stealth to spring upon unsuspecting targets, whether that be enemy or food. He'd been putting his training to the test by sneaking off when he could and surprising the many leopards in their leap, primarily Ashera and his friends. Lucky for him he was cute or else Ashera often mentioned she was sure the older leopards would have knocked him one good one of these days. Waliopotea was hardly impressed when the lion cub sprang on him one morning but the look on his face...!

 _"It was totally worth it, Ashera! He didn't see me coming!"_ Takatifu had said between snickers. Ashera had shot him a sour look, ears flat and eyes narrowed as she'd just finished getting her head lectured off by the old leopard.

 _"Of course he couldn't see you coming! The poor guy only has one eye! Please don't do that again, he might not be able to tan your hide but his tongue is just as painful."_

Ashera was not the most revered hunter of the Kijani leap thanks to her black coat, she was the only leopard in the group who had been born with such a midnight black pelt. However once she melded with the shadows of the forest, she was a hard sight to see coming. The night was her best friend and Takatifu hoped to one day match Ashera in terms of hunting and sneaking skill. She lead the two of them towards the local watering place located in the forest, connected to a large flowing waterfall that fed out the rivers out in the Savannah. With it nearing midday, animals were going to be headed for the falls to drink their fill and relax in the tall fronds of trees.

She paused and looked at Takatifu to make sure the cub was watching her. He was, his bright eyes locked on his guardian. Takatifu was enraptured in this lesson, Ashera smiled in relief. The cub sometimes was easily distracted, you see... "Okay Takatifu, time to put those stealth skills to the test. We are going to split up and circle around. You will startle the okapi towards me. I'm going to bring it down over there," Ashera said, gesturing with her head towards the strange animal by the drinking water.

He nodded his head at her, Takatifu scrambling to stand upon one of the many rocks to get a better view of the terrain. "Got it, Ashera." He threw a grin at her, pleased when she rolled her eyes at his eager energy. "It won't see me coming."

"Remember Takatifu, the trick is to feel the earth under your paws so it doesn't shift or make noise," Ashera told him in a firm voice.

"I'm like a cloud," he reassured her hastily, wanting to get right to the hunting. "Dont worry!"

Ashera gave him a nod and stalked off to assume her position, offering one last bit of wisdom as she did so. "If at all you find yourself under it's hooves, curl into a ball and protect your head. I doubt it will come to that though."

Takatifu drew in an excited breath as he pounce off the rock, wiggling his launches as he went a long. His steps were careful and he checked multiple times to make sure he wouldn't press his stealthy paws on any naughty debris. If he could ambush a leopard he could ambush that okapi too, no problem.

He tried to not inhale so heavily as his nerves were on fire, eagerness pulsating through his entire being. Takatifu counted the paces like he heard Ashera do often when on the hunt, an estimate so he did not under nor overstep when preparing to strike. His eyes saw Ashera's black fur through the tall grass and leaves, she tried sticking to the shadows but bits of spotty sunlight fell over her lithe form.

She met his eyes, waiting as she carefully watch Takatifu make his way through the grass and undergrowth. Her body was poised to strike, Takatifu knew it was up to him to spook the okapi in her direction. Once close enough, Takatufu could see the long striped legs of the funny animal, it's long neck bent to drink the cool refreshing water.

He struck out with his paw with a hiss, the okapi jerked it's head up in fright. Without thinking it whirled on its heel to barrel in the opposite direction of what had smacked it from the tall grass. Takatifu exposed himself with a wide grin, watching the beast run directly into Ashera's position.

It reared up on its hind legs with a startled cry, Ashera cutting off it's escape as she sprung out. It was over very quickly, as Ashera lunged with a snarl to latch her jaws over the okapi's throat. It struggled but it was no match for the leopard who pinned it to the ground, suffocating it soon after it was brought to the floor.

Takatifu ran to go meet Ashera who licked the blood off her teeth, tongue grazing across her jaws. "Good job, Takatifu." She beamed at the lion cub proudly. "Guess picking on our leap comes in handy after all, huh kiddo?'

He smirked. "You're the one who said it, not me," he said in a smart aleck manner, making Ashera pout at him.

"Brat," she scoffed the familiar moniker. "Use that smart mouth of yours to eat your supper, then we gotta bring up some cuts to Waliopotea. Leave him the rump, that's his favorite part."

Takatifu stuck his tongue out at her. "Of course the old man gets the best piece of the okapi," he said before lowering his face down to tear at the carcass, his stomach grumbling at the warm smell of fresh bloody meat.

Ashera tore a leg off for herself and took a bite, tearing through the striped flesh. "Maybe when you get older you can boss all of us around instead," she teased as she ate, smirking. "Then you'll always get to eat the best cuts of meat first." She crunched the bones in her powerful jaws.

Takatifu chewed with his mouth open. "Yeah? Guess I'll have to give old man Waliopotea a run for his meal then." His eyes twinkled playfully. They both knew that would never happen.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," she scolded the cub, swallowing her food. "Anyway good luck with that, he's going to outlive us all."

The lion cub and leopard finished their lunch, eating leisurely and conversing in mealtime pleasure. Ashera ripped off a chunk of the carcass to carry with her for Waliopotea. She cut out another piece for Takatifu to carry too. He must be very hungry by now. As leader of the leopards, it was important they made sure he was taken care of, especially in his old age and the recent injury that inflicted him.

Takatifu followed Ashera through the thick territory of jungle, in his mouth he carried the severed okapi hoof. Waliopotea lived rather deep in the heart of the forest, usually keeping to himself and away from the rest of the leap. It did not mean he ignored them, always from a distance he watched the leopards with his one remaining eye. If there was danger he did not hesitate to lay his life down for the Kijani leap.

He was almost like a father figure to Takatifu. Almost was the key word. He respected the old leopard but Waliopotea was too emotionally distant and cold to ever welcome him with warm opened arms. It didn't mean he treated the cub poorly either, often Takatifu could remember the old male guarding him in the shadows when Ashera was not nearby. He dished out words of wisdom and lecture when need by, even if it often got a eyeroll from antsy lion cubs.

Some suspected this favoritism had something to do with Ashera but in what way nobody really knew nor did they ask...

"Okay, seems we are here," Ashera said, dropping her meat chunk a moment to speak. "If I know old man Waliopotea he should be hanging out in the tree tops... but he does have that bad leg right now..." Her brows furrowed thoughtfully, Takatifu watching as her green eyes looked about, contemplative.

"If he's like everyone else he's gonna let his stomach lead him here," Takatifu mused, glancing down at the meat. "I mean, if he doesn't trip over anything with that bad eye and leg of his on the way."

"He is quite battered, isn't he?" She mused. "And old, I haven't met a leopard as ancient as he."

"Are we done disrespecting my good name? Because I would quite like to come eat finally." A deep voice came from a tree branch, his large golden spotted body coated in splotchy shadow. His one green eye bore down on the two, making Takatifu feel small. Battle scars etched through his tough hide, war stories each one told. "I'm only half blind, my hearing is still very good."

"Waliopotea! I did not mean any offense," Ashera hastily scrambled to speak.

Takatifu smirked a bit at Ashera's panic. "Its only his bark that you gotta fear, Ashera."

She shot him a displeased look, pouting her lips. Ashera was about to speak up when Waliopotea interrupted her, the leopard climbing down from his perch with grace that should not have matched his bulky form. "Save me your rambling, Ashera. I know exactly what you meant."

Was that a subtle jab of humor? Takatifu couldn't tell as his torn up face was still very much flat and stotic. His face was scruffy and twinged with faded white hair. His whiskers were scruffy and his chin long and furry, he had cheek bones sharper than mountain stalagmites.

Ashera pinned her ears, her face betrayed the internal amounts of screaming going on inside her head. "Of course," she said meekly. "Anyway... um, we caught okapi."

He arched a brow curiously at Ashera, the old leopard leaning his face down to begin eating his fill. "'We'?" It seemed his table manners were not the best and Takatifu wondered if being old meant you could talk with your mouth full.

"I mentioned it last time I last spoke to you but I've began to teach Takatifu to hunt," Ashera explained, letting some pride slip into the words. She glanced at Takatifu who grin at her.

"Yeah, I snuck up and spooked that okapi from the brush," the cub proudly exclaimed.

Waliopotea sniffed quietly as he seemed to recall something. "Well, that certainly explains why you have been... causing trouble with the leap. So many complain about the false leopard pouncing forth from the trees these days..." He scowled and with the blood on his face it nearly looked menacing. Takatifu was hardly phased, only widened his cheeky grin.

"You have to admit it mister Waliopotea that I got you really good that one time. Remember? I was stalking all over the tree tops and..." The cub demonstrated the story as told it, crouching low and gingerly stepping about.

"Yes, I remember. Please don't remind me," he grunted, bloodied okapi flesh dangling between his teeth. "Best you next teach the boy to be careful of what and who he pounce on in future."

Ashera smiled at him, sheepish. "I'll make sure to do that, sir."

"Good," Waliopotea said, returning to resume his meal. With the food delivered, Ashera felt it best they make their leave, the black leopard getting to her paws and gesturing with her head for Takatifu to follow. Waliopotea lifted his remaining eye at the movement and spoke up in his gruff voice. "Wait a moment Ashera, there is more I wish to discuss with you and the boy."

"I have a name you know," Takatifu told Waliopotea helpfully, causing the male to look at him blankly. "Takatifu, remember?"

Ashera nudged her cub with a scolding frown. "Takatifu..." She turned her face to Waliopotea after. "What do you wish to speak to me about?"

"Those blasted hyenas are causing trouble for the leap and other animals in the jungle," Waliopotea said with a low growl, he pushed his meal aside to properly address Ashera without distraction.

"Yes, they are," Ashera agreed with a patient nod. "We've been dealing with their activities best we can but... there's only so much we can do." Her eyes fell to his hurt leg.

"Indeed," he grunted. "I've heard reports that they're getting bolder, the cubs are at risk. Penda told me they nearly gobbled Binti and Mafuta a few nights ago. And then theres the herds being harassed beyond needing food and now their near victorious attack upon me..." Waliopotea's ego both as a leopard and leader were burned far deeper than the scars in his pelt. Takatifu could see it in the way his claws flexed and jaw tightened. "I will not stand for it a moment longer. My leg has healed decently enough that I will make a journey to the capital."

Ashera blinked slowly in stunned silence. "You mean, the Mbinguni pride?"

"Yes, are you so daft you forget we have a king who is supposed to fix issues like these?"

"No, no, I didn't mean it like that it's just... the Mbinguni pride have never been very known to extend a paw to help the other species like us." Ashera frowned. "I don't see why they would risk their forces to help us."

Takatifu listened to the conversation with alert ears. "Ashera," he finally spoke up, cocking his head like a confused puppy. "What's a pride?"

She gave him a hesitant side glance at the question. She could feel Waliopotea's gaze bore into her with disapproval that the boy did not know. "A pride is... where lions live together."

He looked curious, mouth forming an 'o' shape. "Lions live together? Wait..." Takatifu wrinkled his muzzle, something dawning on him.

Waliopotea replied in place of Ashera, nodding his massive head. "Yes they do, boy. Usually they are headed by a lone male with many lionesses who serve beneath him. However royal prides like the Mbinguni run things quite differently."

"What about cubs?"

"There are cubs as well." He turned to face Ashera who was fidgeting under his scrutiny. "Why have you not explained this to the boy, Ashera?"

She frowned defiantly. "He's never asked before now," she told Waliopotea.

"How come I'm the only lion here?" Takatifu looked at Ashera, truly curious and confused.

"Leopards and lions... do not usually mix. Typically we all stick to our own kind... the zebras, the hyenas, the jackals, the impalas... So on and so forth." Ashera rubbed at her fore arm to max her unease. Takatifu didn't seem too phased, instead making a thoughtful face. "Anyway... ahem... what was it you wanted to do with the Mbinguni lions?"

Waliopotea didn't appear eager for Ashera to try swerving the conversation but he didn't linger further. "As I was saying... I will make a journey to the capital of the lion kingdom to seek council with king Obi. I hear his policies differ from his ancestors."

"You couldn't possibly make such a trip on your own," Ashera protested to her leader, shaking her head. "I mean no insult but Waliopotea you are quite old and that leg still needs time to mend more. Hyenas bite hard."

"Exactly," he agreed, stunning Ashera to silence. She merely stared at him as if the usually so proud leopard had grown a second head.

"Excuse me?" Ashera found her voice. Takatifu tugged on the fur at her elbow when her maws remain ajar.

"You're going to swallow a hornet if you keep it up, Ashera." Takatifu turned his attention to Waliopotea.

"I won't be making the pilgrimage alone because _you_ will be accompanying me to see the king."

" _ **What?!**_ " Ashera sounded shell shocked and perhaps borderline horrified. "Waliopotea, no, I _couldn't_ go with you. That's nearly a three day journey and who would take care of Takatifu with those Damu tribe hyenas around if I go?"

"You need to breathe in some fresh air for once, Ashera. This jungle is going to make you stuffy," Takatifu told Ashera with a teasing smile. He looked excited. "Man, you'll get to go outside the jungle! I wish I could go." Ashera could tell this talk of visiting a lion pride had planted a thoughtful seed within his head. He sighed wistfully. Often times she knew the cub would sneak away to climb the many cliffs and canyons in the jungle in order to try and see what lay beyond the jungle. His friends though excellent climbers would complain about how hard a journey it was, yet a lion cub could scale far better than they.

It made her very nervous.

"Its a dangerous world out there, Takatifu. You don't want to leave the safety of the forest for it," Ashera said sagely, shaking her head as she lay a paw on his small back.

"We will bring the boy, teach him more of those survival skills while we are on the trail. Best way to build him further." Waliopotea told her without missing a beat. "It will do him good to see what's there and mingle with lions of his own kind."

Ashera didn't like the way Waliopotea said _'his own kind,'_ it caused her to glower slightly at him. "I don't know about this." She protectively drew Takatifu closer to her side, causing the cub to squirm about eagerly. "Its too dangerous. Who is to even say the king will even talk to us?"

"I get to go with you guys?" Takatifu exclaimed in a stunned voice, blue eyes shining with glee. "Out there in the wild _and_ to meet the lion pride?" He seemed to completely ignore Ashera's cautions, even when she shot him a peeved look out of distress.

Waliopotea nodded his head to the cub. "Indeed, you would get to see many new things you've never experienced here in the jungle, lad."

"Wow," the lion cub said, suddenly in a low voice. His brows furrowed close to his eyes as he turn to give Ashera one of his famous begging faces. "Ashera, can we go? Please?"

She let her lips set into a line as she stared into the eyes of the boy. "Takatifu, you aren't thinking this carefully," Ashera advised softly. "Its not as simple as you think."

Waliopotea didn't look very sympathetic however he decided to compromise. "I will give you until sunset to give me your answer, Ashera. I won't force you but between you and me you would be the best leopard to bring to meet lions."

Ashera looked generally puzzled, her green eyes fixated on his worn face. "What do you mean?"

He merely gestured to Takatifu. "You raised one, the pride would be more willing to hear our case knowing one of their kind lives among us. Its a political gamble but one we best take if we want king Obi's favor. You also understand lions best after..."

Ashera glanced away with a sigh, taking in his words and the weight they held. "Let me think on it, Waliopotea. I need time to..."

"If that's what you wish, then fine."

"Come along Takatifu," the black leopard got to her paws, no longer sitting as she decided it was best to go. "I will come meet you at sunset, for now... I'll see you later."

He nodded his head and without another word returned to his meal. Ashera began to walk away, Takatifu shadowing her every step. His mind was spinning at this new prospect of getting to see the Savannah beyond the glimpses from the tree tops and cliffs. And other lions! There were others just like him! How amazing was that?

With how stony Ashera's face looked though Takatifu knew he had a great task today getting her to agree to Waliopotea's terms of visiting the Mbinguni pride. That was okay though, Takatifu was no quitter, he would get her to say yes eventually.

Even if he had to please his guardian the very ends of the earth!

* * *

 _ **Name meaning log** : _[To avoid character spoilers new names will be added at the bottom so you aren't spoiled over who appears in the chapter]

 _Ashera - "grove"_

 _Waliopotea - "one-eye"_


	3. Chapter 3 - Questioning

**Author's Note:** I'm sorry for the delay but here is chapter 3 ~ also yes you didn't imagine that but I did upload and remove a prologue earlier. It was because I messed up something very important timeline wise in it, it'll be returned eventually. Until then, here is chapter 3! Please read and review ~

* * *

 **Chapter 3** \- [ _Questioning_ ]

" _You knew Adimu."_

* * *

"So... how are you gonna convince Ashera to go see the lions?" Binti inquired from her perch, the little leopard cub lifting her head to address Takatifu.

Her brother Mafuta idly listened to the conversation from behind them, too busy with gnawing a bone to really want to partake. He licked his jaws, the tail end of the conversation rousing the plump leopard cub for a moment to speak. "Yeah, you said um..." He made a face, seeming suddenly very lost and tried to appear not so.

Takatifu and Binti turned their expectant eyes on him, their backs facing him.

Binti arched a brow at him and shook her head. "You haven't been paying attention at all, have you Mafuta?"

His strawberry colored face grew redder somehow, causing Takatifu to smirk. "I um... kind of?"

"I _said_ Ashera was really against going to see the lions," Takatifu told him. His voice wasn't annoyed at all, mostly it was full of fond exasperation. It was the norm for Mafuta to space out of conversations when he had other things on his mind.

Primarily food, that glutton.

"Anyway... my plan is to keep on Ashera's good side and ask about it when I get the chance," Takatifu turned his attention to Binti, who twisted her face up in a perplexed fashion.

"My mom always says that's a really obvious approach," Binti told Takatifu. "Like, she says it's easy to see when a cub is being super good just to get something. Right Mafuta?" She tossed her littermate a teasing smirk and poor Mafuta was so surprised to hear his own name he snapped his bone in half.

"Huh?" Mafuta stammered, blue eyes wide and nervous.

"Don't be mean, Binti." Takatifu shook his head with a chuckle, gently nudging the cub in the shoulder. "And hmm... drats, you might be kinda right..." His brows furrowed close together in contemplation.

"You know," Binti said, dragging the words out thoughtfully. "You could go look for Waliopotea again."

"What could he do, Binti? He already talked to Ashera, I was there, remember?" He cocked his ears, curling his lip in confusion.

"You're missing my point, dumb head," the light colored cub told him, whacking him on the head as if it would physically bestow the awnser in his head. Takatifu rubbed at the spot she hit, grimacing at the lingering sting. "I mean is if you talk to Waliopotea and show interest Ashera will find it harder to say no."

"Isn't that kinda of a dirty trick?"

Binti shrugged her shoulders without a care in the world. "It works when dad tells us no."

"...is that why your parents yell louder than baboons at each other all the time?" Takatifu asked with an arched brow, Binti smiled all too innocently as she batted her eyelashes.

"I can't believe you would accuse a cute girl of such a thing," Binti said with an air of drama to it, laying her arm across her eyes and rolling onto her back. "I'm hurt, Takatifu."

He shot an exasperated look at Mafuta who watched on with pure confusion, part of the bone sticking out of his lips.

"Don't even ask, Mafuta," Takatifu told him with a sigh, rolling his eyes at Binti.

Poor Mafuta only looked between his two playmates, trying to figure out what was happening. Takatifu got to his paws, stretching his body out with claws extending out. Binti straightened her lithe body as she return to her precious position on her stomach. As much as he didn't like the idea of going behind Ashera's back, he knew if he wanted straight answers and a chance to see this lion kingdom they were talking about, he needed to seek out Waliopotea. The old leopard wouldn't sugar coat things for him and Ashera respected him enough to not fight him on that.

It made him feel dirty, recalling their previous conversations once they left the grove Waliopotea made his home…

" _Ashera, why don't you want to go?"_ He had asked her, threading his way between her long legs in a game as they walked.

The black leopard only furrowed her brows, Takatifu not missing the visible ripple of uncertainty that crossed her face. Ashera didn't look at him. " _Its for our own safety, Africa isn't as safe as it used to be. We can't afford getting hurt out there."_

" _But we are getting hurt here as is,"_ Takatifu protested with a frown, stumbling over his paws when he misjudged Ashera's next few strides. " _You heard old man Waliopotea, those hyenas…"_

" _I know, Takatifu."_ Ashera sighed through her nostrils, stopping to help the lion cub back to his feet. She grabbed him by the scruff and hefted him off the ground gently. " _You're just a child, you need to trust my judgement, okay?"_

Her eyes were uncharacteristic with how serious they looked, leveling down with his bright blue gaze. Takatifu wanted to fight her on this, ask more questions. " _But I want to see the lions, Ashera."_

Ashera said nothing for awhile, breathed deeply and shook her head. " _Takatifu, please…"_

" _At least think about it? You promised Waliopotea you would. It seemed mighty important to him that you'd go with him,"_ he insisted, face tipped back to look at her. Ashera seemed conflicted but she finally budged just a bit. A waned smile crossing her muzzle.

" _I still have until sunset. I'll think about it. Now… run along and have fun. I think I smell Penda's cubs nearby…"_

"Where are you going off to?" Binti asked.

"As if you even need to ask me that, Binti," the lion cub quipped, shaking his shaggy mess of mane. He began to push his way through the thick jungle grass, hearing Binti speak to Mafuta in the distance before he was too far away to make out much else.

"I told you my ideas were brilliant."

Takatifu knew the jungle like the back of his paw, the brown cub following the familiar path that would lead him to where the leopard elder remained. He couldn't help his muddled thoughts, eyes focused on his paws as he walk. If animals didn't typically mingle with species of their own kind… why was Takatifu here? He never gave it much prodding, this was his life, the normal he grew up with and never questioned. Ashera had always been there, when he thought of family his mind usually landed on her. There wasn't ever a mother lion, whatever one might look like.

He wasn't bothered persay, neither was he irked with Ashera's secrecy but he was curious, he wanted to know. Waliopotea seemed annoyed Ashera never broached the subject to him, that it should have been common knowledge. If that were the case… why wasn't it? What was so bad about seeing the lions that made Ashera seem uneasy? He stewed on it for a long moment, stopping at the edge of a stream. His eyes stared at the thoughtful face looking back at him.

Takatifu certainly was no leopard whelp but that was okay, he didn't need to be one. This was home and yet… He shook his head, continuing down the forest trail. It wasn't hard to find where Waliopotea was, as with his injured leg and old age, he didn't wander very far these days. However what he wasn't expecting to see was Ashera there with him. The lion cub hid himself between the bushes, not wanting to be caught spying when his ears picked up the conversation the two leopards were having. Pressed as close to the ground as Takatifu could, he shuffled ever so lightly forward.

"You can't shelter him forever from the world, Ashera," he heard the old leopard say, with his back to Takatifu he couldn't see his face but he imagined there was a scowl.

"it's safer for him here," Ashera insisted, staring down Waliopotea sternly. "You know why I can't bring him to the pride. Why are you trying to force this?"

"Takatifu doesn't belong here, Ashera." Takatifu expected himself to ruffle his fur up in an offended fashion but the way Waliopotea said it was far from cruel. Just a statement of the way things were. "Lions don't belong with leopards, he needs to be with his own kind. The boy _needs_ to meet other lions."

"They don't take in strays Waliopotea," the black leopard hissed, ears flat against her head.

"You know as well as I do he isn't a stray, you knew Adimu.'

The name seemed to instill a fierce feeling from within Ashera, as she reacted in a way Takatifu never thought possible. Her lip curled up into a sneer, brows furrowed close to her eyes. They sparkled with what seemed to be a pain aged like fine old wine. Takatifu took a hesitant step back, wondering if perhaps he heard too much. She sighed deeply, Ashera looking away to calm herself.

"Please don't say that name again. Besides… its more complicated than that." Ashera looked far away.

Waliopotea shook his head in disappointment. "So… you still refuse?"

"Yes," she said without missing a beat, not breaking her resolve. Takatifu hadn't ever seen her look so serious before, whatever this was it wasn't as simple as playing good boy to get her to change her tune.

Not wanting to get caught spying, Takatifu used the stealth skills he was learning to proper use. He crawled backwards into the safety of the tall grass, conflicted feelings swirling inside him. He broke into a run, making distance between him and the two leopards dwelling in the grove. He wondered if perhaps he was better off not knowing but curiosity chewed into his skin like a bad itch. Takatifu didn't stop running until he was under the shelter of a mostly covered cave, a curtain of leaves obscured the entrance as he went inside. Catching his breath, Takatifu gave a cautious once over at his paw, idly flexing the claws there as his mind wandered farther than the horizon could reach.

Adimu. Why did the name _feel_ so familiar and yet… Takatifu couldn't say he ever heard it at all in the entirety of his life. His memory strained for anything to beckon lucidity but nothing came, as expected. It was blank, Takatifu wagged his head. Sitting down, he looked outside of the cave. Confusion lingered on his face and staring bemused into the jungle that stretched as far away as his head felt, Takatifu felt like his world was being tipped upside down.

What was he supposed to do if Ashera refused to go see the Mbinguni? Takatifu was torn two ways and the stubborn child he was, wanted answers and he knew without a doubt Ashera wouldn't be the one to tell him. Waliopotea appeared to be on the side of telling the truth and yet… Takatifu had a hunch the old leopard didn't know nearly as much as he thought he did.

If that were the case… Taking in a breath, the lion cub settled himself down. He lay on his belly and put his chin between his paws. His eyes suddenly felt heavy and a nap sounded pretty good right now, perhaps he could sleep on it. Maybe a solution would reveal itself, the lion cub closing his eyes. His breathing slowed out into even puffs, flanks rising and falling

The world fell away from him pieces, shattering like glass and plummeting all around. Takatifu was scarcely aware of it, legs twitching and body reacting to the phantom sensation seeping through his bones. Jungle faded into grassland that was alit in flame.

 _And in his dreams he was running… running and running and running as a set of furious green eyes stared at his back, a voice screaming into the void he needed to hurry…_

" _Takatifu… it is time."_

He couldn't really remember dreaming, just that when a voice sounded too close to his ear it made him lift his head. Blue eyes blinking groggily, he glanced about.

"Ugh… hello?"

Takatifu saw he was alone, looking around the small space. The sky looked dark, the cub realized he must have slept through the rest of the day. Sunlight long lost, he rose to his feet and arched his spine in a stretch.

"I better go find Ashera," he mumbled to himself, pushing his head through the vines to pad out into the jungle. "She probably is wondering where I am." Inky darkness was spreading far out, the thin orange light from the setting sun peeking weakly past the canopy of leafy trees. Night would soon be here, prowling closer and closer as the day came to an end.

He scampered along, the cub scrambling over fallen logs and pressing against tall grass so he could make his way through. Takatifu used his tracking skills, dark nose to the ground sniffing intently for the familiar floral scent of Ashera. In the distance between some distinctly shaped trees, he found the black leopard. The search didn't take long, he noted with some pride warming his chest.

Takatifu beamed at the sight of her, quickening his strides so he could reach her. Ashera's face was covered in blood, an impala hanging in those powerful jaws of hers. She dropped the fresh-kill unceremoniously once she recognized her little boy. He rubbed himself against her front legs like a fussy house cat.

"Where have you been all day?" Ashera asked him.

"Wouldn't you like to know," he replied with a cheeky grin, letting Ashera cuff him one over the ears. He chuffed merrily.

"I would in fact, Binti and Mafuta said you waltzed off and didn't come back," she told him, eyeing him suspiciously.

Takatifu fought off her tongue when the leopard began grooming the tuft of mane on his head. "Ashera!"

"You have so many leaves and knots here right now I'm surprised there's even hair left," Ashera said between licks. He fought her with his wiggling but she had an iron tight grip.

"You can't at least wash all that blood off your mouth first?" Takatifu whined, settling down by force alone as she had the stronger benefit.

"Your dinner is getting cold." Ashera drew away only once she deemed Takatifu groomed, much to his relief as he ran his forepaw through the tan locks of mane. "Don't mess up my nice work, Takatifu." She pouted.

He only stuck his tongue out at her, slipping beneath her agile body to go investigate the delicious smell of impala wafting through the air.

Ashera stopped him with her paw on his tail. "Hold your zebras, we have to get this impala into the tree first. With those hyenas about we can't afford letting them scavenge our kill."

It was a team effort getting the dead prey into the tree, Takatifu eagerly clawing his way up the trunk and reaching down to grab the impala at its horns. Ashera dragged most of the weight though, as was expected with their sheer size differences. It was nice letting the cub feel empowered. Ashera and Takatifu began to dig into their supper. Takatifu got the rump this time, much to his delight.

Licking his chops with leisure pleasure, Takatifu was comfortable up in the tree with Ashera. The brown lion cub regarded the black leopard with curious eyes. Ashera met his stare, seemingly aware of what the boy wished to ask.

Of course, he knew the awnser but perhaps playing dumb could work in his favor. "Ashera?"

She washed her muzzle of the blood, licking her paw and swiping it across her face. "Yes, Takatifu?"

"About earlier today…" Takatifu trailed off before taking in a steady breath. "Did you decide what you wanna tell Waliopotea?"

Despite the lowlight he could see her expression clear as day, green eyes watching him with something like caution. "I told him we couldn't go."

His ears tinged a darker brown at the rims fell in obvious disappointment. "Oh…"

"Takatifu please understand," the leopardess began, not wanting to see him look crushed. "Its a dangerous trip to get to the capital. And there's no way to say king Obi would even see us for a council. We could very well go just to be shooed away at the border," Ashera continued, reaching her paw out to gently touch him.

"If he's our king, shouldn't he help us?" Takatifu frowned.

"In theory, yes." Ashera chewed her lower lip, trying to figure out how to explain politics to a child who hadn't a clue. "But the Mbinguni haven't had the best history of risking their own kind for us little people. They will occasionally send diplomats to clear squabbles but only when it affects them personally."

"That's dumb," he huffed flatly.

"Yes and no… many other animals only concern themselves with their own kind. Not everyone but it's the safer option. Would you risk yourself for a zebra or your fellow leopard? Which would benefit you better in the end?" Ashera watched him, seeing the gears turn in his head before the cub shook it.

"But I'm not a leopard, Ashera." Ashera made a face for a moment, Takatifu wondered if it was one of hurt. He couldn't tell.

"The point is… you wouldn't put yourself in danger for someone you're not affiliated with."

Takatifu chose his next words carefully. "Then… _why_ am I here?"

She didn't seem to see the question coming judging by the way she stared at him. Ashera sighed. "Because you were a lost little cub and I couldn't turn away from someone so young. You needed me."

Takatifu knew there was a story there, Ashera had told him the short version of how she had taken him in. That he had just appeared out of the blue one day, left behind in the jungle still helplessly mewling for a mother that wasn't coming. A youngster clad completely in cub spots and barely a scrap of mane to his head, he'd been a lost boy from some strange land. Was there… more?

" _You knew Adimu."_

That was what Waliopotea said in response to Ashera saying the lion kingdom would not accept him, as if a proper solution. Someone called Adimu shared a connection with him and Takatifu was willing to bet by an extension Ashera. Her reaction had been emotional, seeming potent and very personal that the name made those jade eyes of her flash in pain.

Takatifu wanted to ask Ashera, the curiosity was eating him now but he knew it would bare no fruit. Ashera most likely would dig her heels in and refuse, and Takatifu already could guess it wasn't out of any selfish desires either. No, it was something _bigger_ than that.

But just what… Takatifu didn't know and being a young cub, not knowing things seemed to be the norm.

"Takatifu?"

Had he zoned out? Sharply shaped eyes blinking slowly, he looked to Ashera's concerned face. "Yeah, Ashera?"

The leopardess looked like she wanted to say something at first but instead she shook her head. "Nothing… you just looked lost in thought there. Did you eat enough?"

He offered her a reassuring smile, the boy clambering his way towards her to nestle comfortably under her chin. Ashera seemed surprised, eyes round and staring down at him.

"I ate enough to put a hippo to shame," Takatifu told her, cozying himself against her warm body. "Thanks, Ashera."

"Of course," Ashera said with a gentle chuff, nuzzling against his soft head of mane. "Anything for you."

They fell into a comfortable silence, one only broken by the nighttime noises of the jungle. Her heartbeat was strong and steady against his ear, Takatifu sighed blissfully despite the gnawing curiosity chewing at his insides. No matter what, he trusted Ashera, she was the closest thing to a mother he'd ever had and there was no doubt in his mind she would never try to deliberately hurt him ever.

"Ashera?" He asked after a long time, voice soft.

"Yes?"

"...nothing, I'm just thankful, that's all." Takatifu rested his head against her heart, sighing. He had questions but none that could be answered honestly.

Ashera gave a thoughtful hum. Takatifu kneaded his paws on her black fur, a reflex he did when his mind was distracted. It comforted him. The leopard leaned down to drag her tongue over his back, tender as always.

"Tomorrow… if you are up to it," Ashera said, wanting to placate him. She knew her denial to see the lions made him feel downtrodden. "We can do more hunting together, you are getting bigger now…"

He lifted his head up, chin pressed at her chest. She looked down at him, smiling after their eyes met. He gave her a small grin back. "I'd like that a lot, Ashera."

She closed her eyes in response, missing the longing glance Takatifu tossed out into the darkness of the tropical forest, as if he were looking for something the physical eye could not see...


	4. Chapter 4 - Shadows

**Author's Note:** I don't have much to say beyond I really _really_ love writing chapters focused on Griselda, her kingdom and the politics of everything in between ~

Also yes, the title was changed ~

* * *

Chapter 4 - [ _Shadows_ ]

" _Why are you here, princess?"_

* * *

In the weeks that followed her first vision of the destruction Griselda did her best to keep her mind off the tragedy of the entire thing, Mustafa was right that there was not much they could do whilst they waited for the boy to reach them as the Miracle Eyes foretold. She would join her father on walks through the kingdom for her royal duty as princess and accompanied her mother when the queen would bask hours among her ladies-in-waiting.

Though sometimes... sometimes she could catch glimpses of him scattered about the kingdom. That brown coat flecked in distinctive rosette spots, the scruffy blonde mane and bright blue eyes were far from unmistakable. She would turn as if she'd seen a ghost.

She wondered if perhaps she was going crazy, especially when she would speak to herself in the night as if he would hear her, wherever the boy may be. The last violent vision she could still distinctly recall, it felt so real. They stood together upon a large rock with a mass of animals beneath them. He spoke but she could hear no words, he was no cub but a man, his mane full and flowing in the wind.

And then... And then he turn to her with a look in his eyes that made her heart flutter to dust from the memory of it all.

"We stand together," he finally had said. "Or we don't stand at all, princess."

Mustafa had issued private warnings of the prophecy to the rest of the Shadow Marozi, some seemed to take it at face value whilst others scoffed at the notion. A sharp glare from their leader instant cowed them into submission with vows to keep their eyes peeled for any suspicious activity. It left Griselda with mild comfort, perhaps the supposed weak link would be found before it was too late...

During this time she found an unlikely ally in the form of the hyena Ibilisi, the apprentice of Shadow Marozi Talayeh. He had been at the announcement as an honorary member of the pride. Talayeh took him in since he was a boy on the cusp of adolescence. He had sought the princess out one evening to offer words of sympathy and closure, taking Griselda by surprise.

"I wish to request council with you this evening, your grace," Ibilisi said with a respectful now, leaning on one front leg and head low to the ground.

Griselda touched his head and nodded. "Your request is granted, please rise," she murmured the tradition old phrase without pause. Her curious red eyes watched Ibilisi get up, standing at fill height. "What is it you want to speak to me?" She cocked her head, trying not to look too miffed. Usually she was the last person anyone sought council with, she was young and her parents were more adapted to professional affairs and speeches.

"Your parents would turn me away for you should know what I am here to speak about," he replied evenly, lifting his chin. "As a Shadow Marozi member it is common knowledge that I know of the prophecy you told Kage Mustafa."

"Yes... you are Talayeh's apprentice and involved with many of them. Apologies, my mind has been... elsewhere these days."

"No offense taken, princess."

"Thank you," she said, feeling a touch awkward.

"It is a shame nobody wishes to see things as you do, princess Griselda," he said with a calm pleasant voice, brows drawn close together. She looked at his face, staring at that one green eye of his. He never disclosed the entire story of that awful scar, only saying it was a past he rather forget. "Perhaps if they listened we could... prevent such a terrible future on its way."

"it's understandable that they wouldn't want to believe me, sir Ibilisi," Griselda said in a calm voice despite how her heart trembled in its anxiety. "I'm only a cub with an active imagination as they say..."

He shook his large brown head, his mane flowing to and fro. "Still a pity," he said flatly.

His paw brushed hers in a sympathetic gesture, gentle despite his tough calloused pads and blunt claws. She could see black edges creep at her vision, making her feel as if she were being swallowed by shadow. Ibilisi must have noticed her staring blankly ahead for he spoke but she felt like she was under water. The beautiful expanse of land that was her kingdom faded from her view, she could smell earth and dirt and stone, it felt familiar so if she had been there before. A skeletal mass came into view, it appeared feline but at the same time she knew it could not be a true lion, it gave off an eerie aura that chilled her body to ice. Griselda could taste blood in her mouth, it made her blink in confusion as she did not feel any wounds inside. The taste was overwhelming, disgustingly so and she winced.

She was in a tunnel, she realized but where she could not peg it despite the deja vu it left her with.

Eyes stared at her through the darkness, what color were they? The face was unseen, cast in shadow. One moment green, the next red... even their shapes changed dramatically, shifting as if made from fog.

"Princess!" The hyena's voice was sharp and pulled her back to reality as he shook her shoulders harshly.

She jerked from her daze with a loud intake of air, Griselda hadn't even realized she'd stopped breathing. "Y - yes?" She managed to say, croaking.

His one green eye bore at her face, looking her over quickly but thoroughly. Once he seemed her no longer in danger, he finally relaxed his stance and removed his paws from her body. "Apologies, your grace but you were very spaced out... started to sway a bit and your breathing ragged."

"Do not be sorry... the fault is my own." She paused and with a nervous swallow the cub continued. "Sir Ibilisi, please, can you escort me to Kage Mustafa?" Griselda wished to discuss the strange vision to her personal attendant. The Shadow Marozi always knew what to do.

He bowed his head, no hesitation lingering in that bulky body of his. "Of course, princess Griselda. At once."

The hyena turned on his heel and began to lead the way, Griselda following behind. Down the temple steps they, inside the ancient building and down one its many passages that would soon take them outside its protective walls. It was getting late, faint sunlight peeking through crevices where it could fit. She saw guards patrolling about, making their rounds inside the temple. Ibilisi paid them no mind, even when they eyed him with scrutiny.

"Griselda, what are you doing out?" It was then she heard her mother's voice, clipped and stern as usual as it addressed them. Griselda turned around and at the end of the hall stood the beautiful golden lion queen. Two lionesses walked beside Maisha, keeping far enough behind you could tell they knew their place beneath her.

"We going to see Mustafa." Griselda made sure she sounded firm. "It's important I don't wait a second longer.'

The hard red eyes of her mother narrowed into Ibilisi. "'We?'"

Griselda willed her fur to lay flat at the tone. "Yes, sir Ibilisi is taking me to see the Shadow Marozi directly, mother."

Maisha scowled, poorly hiding her disgust that the carrion dog was escorting her daughter. The ladies-in-waiting with Maisha exchanged a look, one that churned Griselda at her belly with annoyance.

 _Gossip mongers those two,_ Griselda thought, protective as she turned to Ibilisi. The one-eyed hyena was on his belly bowing without so much as meeting the queen's face and _still_ he was some filth beneath Maisha's paws. It was no secret the lions of her kingdom looked down upon those that weren't their own kind. Her father Obi was testing the waters of a new age that involved more unity but many such as the queen did not agree with this.

It made Griselda burn inside with annoyance, what did species and heritage have to do with what a creature was worth? The Circle of Life was preached by some but practiced by few, Griselda repressed a sigh.

"Fine but do hurry back. It's getting late and it isn't proper behavior for the princess to be waltzing about in the dark like a common breed." Maisha straightened herself up as tall as she could, looking very much the epitome of queenly. "Uma, Muha, with me." The lioness with elegant strides walked passed Griselda and Ibilisi, making sure to cast the hyena one last disgusted look. Uma and Muha slunk after her, demure and lowly as the bottom feeders at the river.

Griselda sneered without much thought before speaking once her mother was gone. "I'm sorry about them, Ibilisi. They…" She was cut off.

"Don't be, princess. It's just the way things are. We better hurry if we're going to see Mustafa." No longer bowing in the cramped position, he stood nice and tall.

"Yes, of course. Lead the way."

Once leaving the temple behind was accomplished, eventually they reached the caves that the Shadow Marozi made their home in. The caves were an underground system of tunnels and passageways isolated in the BackLands. Outsiders would easily become lost should they sneak inside, that is if the highly trained Shadow Marozi didn't catch them first. It wasn't exactly a far trip from the temple but neither was it close by either. The intimidating maws of a deceased elephant skull stood at the entrance of the cave, a landmark of where passage reside. Ibilisi stopped and gestured for Griselda to do the same.

"Shadow Marozi Ibilisi reporting back, the crown princess Griselda wishes to seek council with our kage."

There was no response at first until suddenly… "Granted, welcome back brother."

"Thank you, sister." Ibilisi dipped his head respectfully to what was seemingly nothing but Griselda peering closer could see the glowing eyes of a spotted marozi staring back at them. "Please, send word the princess wants to see Mustafa."

"At once. Shall I tell sister Talayeh you have returned home?" The lioness lead the two down the tunnel once they crossed the threshold inside.

"You may," the hyena replied. "I'll take princess Griselda to the hall of history to wait for the kage."

There was another nod before the lioness ran off, melding into the shadowy cavern depths. Griselda didn't know how the marozi pride traversed the darkness so well, as if they could see clear as day but it was a skill they were seemingly born with. She hoped the message would reach Mustafa soon, anxiety knotting in her stomach like bad meat in the sun. Ibilisi nudged Griselda with his paw before leading the white lioness cub down a passage.

The hall of history was a seemingly never ending tunnel and large cave that was dedicated to the past of the Shadow Marozi and the Mbinguni pride. Paintings upon paintings lined the walls and legends were passed down from generation to generation as a result. Mustafa sometimes took her here to indulge her on the history of the kingdom, as Griselda was always curious about her future land. The madrills from the nearby Grass Walls often came to help with the paints due to their more appropriate fingers.

When they arrived, Griselda smiled at the cub who just happened to be in there. "Tabasamu!" The princess couldn't restrain herself as she scampered towards him, Ibilisi following behind at a slower pace.

Tabasamu turned his head around quickly at the voice, bright blue eyes looking her way. "Princess Griselda, what a pleasant surprise!" He met her half way, bowing politely but Griselda waved him off with a paw.

He was a season older than her, his legs longer and the large mess of curly black mane on his head attested to this. He had a dull gray pelt tinged with red, leaving him a kind of maroon. Spots that were a marozi trait speckled his entire body in partial rosettes. Griselda always thought Tabasamu was a handsome sort with those sharply shaped features of his.

"I feel like I never see you anymore," Griselda said with a fond sigh. "Too busy these days?"

His smile was apologetic. "Forgive me, princess. Lady Mustafa has had me stretched thin with my training. You of all lions should understand the burden of future leadership."

Griselda nodded her head at him, the young lioness sympathetic. Tabasamu wasn't just a Shadow Marozi in training but he was destined to take over should Mustafa ever die. Their system of choosing an heir differed from the royal pride, it wasn't about blood though Mustafa's father had lead the people before her.

Usually a marozi could be of any age so long as they showed the appropriate traits for leadership, the spirits would then send signs to show if they approved of the choice or not. It made Griselda curious what would happen should a spirit deny the chosen lion but according to Mustafa it was not an issue they had in recent lifetimes. Though, it wasn't like a king or queen could be impeached so how could Griselda really overthink the matter if someone said no.

"Believe me, I do." Griselda sat on her haunches, regarding him with patient red eyes. "What brings you here?"

"The younger ones were given the night off to do as they wish, I decided to do some crunch time instead. This stuff will be on the test when it comes," Tabasamu told her with a sigh. "I don't know how Mustafa and the others expect us to remember all of it."

"I'm sure Mustafa was in your paws once," she mused, smiling. "She was young too."

"Hardly, the kage must have been a prodigy." He shook his head, turning his attention to the paintings. Tabasamu padded close to look at them, Griselda following behind.

She turned her head when Ibilisi politely cleared his throat. "Forgive my interruption princess Griselda and brother Tabasamu but I should take my leave. Talayeh most likely is expecting me."

"You can go, thank you for taking me here." Griselda thanked him, the blonde hyena only gave a curt nod and salute before turning to leave the lion cubs be.

"Ibilisi seems like a nice fellow," Griselda mused after Ibilisi left, looking at Tabasamu.

"He must be the oldest student in the class," Tabasamu said in reply, focus still on his studies it seemed. "I wonder when Mustafa will let him graduate, he's been studying under Talayeh long enough. They both speak highly of him."

"It's a shame my mother can't see his potential," Geiselda couldn't help but sulk, brows furrowed. Tabasamu only made a face but said nothing of it, seeming to know badmouthing the queen in any way was a good way of being punished. Her gaze sought out a specific painting, one showing white and marozi lions split in two by a divide. "Tabasamu, I don't think I've seen that one before… what is that mural about?"

"Huh? Oh, you mean the Great Reckoning," Tabasamu touched it with his paw gently. Without much prodding, the painting came to life, the white lions appearing before the crestfallen marozi who hung their heads. An ancestor Griselda guessed stood before a marozi that bowed as low as they could. Griselda blinked as the image faded from her senses, leaving her back to awareness. It had been a short vision, too far into the past for her to grasp more. "I'm surprised you haven't seen this one yet. It's a pretty common story here."

"Yeah? Can you tell me?"

"Well… you know the Shadow Marozi didn't _always_ serve under your family, right" The boy stopped for a moment to look at her, waiting for a response that came in a dip of her head. Tabasamu continued his lecture. "These lands the Mbinguni took over use to be entirely ours but… after a lot of hardships we were forced to merge together. It wasn't an easy choice to give up the homeland, it was better than being wiped out by a more hostile kingdom though."

"What kind of hardships?" Griselda gazed at the mural, tentatively lifting a paw up to brush against the faded white paint of her ancestors. She closed her eyes tightly a moment, hoping it would awake something in her.

"Famine, disease, war… they were dangerous times," he answered somberly. "A lot of the original marozi died off and the rest…"

"...gave in to a life of service to my family," Griselda finished, frowning.

"I'm sorry its not as noble an origin story as you thought, princess." The Shadow Marozi cub lowered his paw and looked at Griselda. "But what matters now is we are honored to serve the kingdom. Your pride saves us from the brink of extinction. Your forefathers of the Mbinguni showed mercy."

Griselda couldn't help the sorrowful gaze she had upon the ancient painting. "We put your pride into that situation though… didn't we?"

Tabasamu didn't answer her that time, instead turned away to gaze into the darkness. He didn't seem to know what to say to that. Instead, the lion cub gave his own question. "Why are you here, princess?"

Griselda wanted to press further for details but she had a feeling over why she never got to hear that story until now… The princess replied, "I need to see Mustafa, I had another vision."

Tabasamu frowned at her. "You've had a lot of those these days," he murmured, looking concerned.

She nodded. "Yes, I have. They're all different, I wish I knew what the Great Spirits were trying to tell me." She furrowed her brows, frustrated. "You heard what they said…"

"A weak link, yeah. Mustafa told all of us so we can keep an eye on anyone suspicious." Tabasamu shook his head in dismay. "I don't know if it's a good or bad sign that we haven't found anyone yet."

Griselda paced along the wall, eyeing each painting in hopes the answer may be there. "If the Miracle Eyes are your people's gift, maybe something I could use is here…"

"We've had lions rereading and digging up old records but so far it's a dead end. The gift is just too deep in the past for anyone alive to understand it." Tabasamu padded after her, trotting loyally next to Griselda. "What did you see this time?"

"I was talking to Ibilisi when suddenly something felt… off," Griselda told him in a low thoughtful manner, stopping so she could just look directly at Tabasamu. "My vision went dark and I could taste blood on my tongue. Then… I think I was underground somewhere." She could recall the smell of earth and the darkness that surrounded her in the vision. Griselda wouldn't ever forget the strange mummified remains of that strange feline in the heart of it. There was an unsettling aura about, terrifying.

"Underground you say?" Tabasamu asked. "Was there anything specific down there you saw?"

"There was something awful down there, it didn't feel right. Just a skeleton of what I think was a lion, it was uncomfortably uncanny, Tabasamu." She paused, taking in a calming breath when the recollection began making her blood burn. "It wasn't even broken in pieces but still joined together like only its flesh fell off."

"Chausiku," came an older voice, taking the two cubs by surprise. Griselda and Tabasamu whirled around to face the source, standing in the dark was Mustafa. The lioness approached them, Tabasamu giving his mentor a respectful bow. "My apologies for the delay, princess."

Griselda was relieved to see her personal attendant here, the princess making her way over to greet her. Mustafa leaned down to brush her muzzle against Geiselda, the cub arching her spine appreciatively. "I'm just glad you are here now."

"Of course, I came as soon as I could." Mustafa looked down at Griselda with gentle motherly red eyes.

Griselda then asked, "What's a Chausiku?" Mustafa said the moniker but just what in the world was it? Griselda didn't bother filling in anything prior, Mustafa most definitely overheard her tell Tabasamu the vision that had come.

Tabasamu shook his head at that and nudged her. "Not _what's_ a Chausiku but _who_ is Chausiku, princess."

"Tabasamu is correct," Mustafa replied with a patient nod. "Chausiku dwells deep in the catacombs, my lady."

"But I saw a skeleton, did Chausiku die?" Her mouth tasted like ash and Griselda winced.

"She died a millennia ago, princess. Chausiku founded our people and once she passed away, the Shadow Marozi preserved her body and stored her deep within the cave systems." Mustafa took a seat. The striped marozi gave a concerned look. "I believe your vision was inside the catacombs, why it showed you Chausiku is worrying to me."

Griselda tentatively spoke her question. "If she's just a skeleton underground, what is there to worry over?"

"Legends say Chausiku made bad dealings in life to ancient spirits, fooled around with bad voodoo spells and in death it lingered inside her remains. Every bone in her body oozes these Shadow Arts," Mustafa explained, face set into a hard line. "No one must ever disturb her."

Tabasamu said nothing but his expression was a fearful one, nervous energy radiating off the boy. Griselda turned her expectant gaze back to Mustafa. "Why didn't you break her apart if shes so dangerous, Mustafa?"

"Her essence could _spread,_ child. If anyone got a piece of her and took it that could be detrimental. We protect her this way from dangerous paws, Griselda." The lioness tenderly cupped the cub's face when Griselda began to look panicked, shaky breaths threatening to tumble out of her jaws. "Calm down, we won't let that happen. Chausiku is well guarded by the Shadow Marozi.".

Tabasamu tried to comfort her with his presence, sitting closer to the princess. "That's right, princess. Don't worry."

"Time isn't anything we can stretch thin and I'm nowhere close enough to figuring this vision out, how do you expect me _not_ to worry?" Griselda pulled her face away from Mustafa's paw, expression one of building turmoil. She was frustrated, the princess stepping away to approach the many paintings on the walls once more. "I _need_ answers."

Mustafa came up behind her to rest a comforting paw on her back, the weight of it gave little relief to the worried princess. Griselda appreciated the sentiment but it did little to quell her building fears. "Princess, we will figure this out together. For now… trust us to keep you and the kingdom safe."

"I do trust you… I don't trust myself is the problem. Nobody believes me," Griselda let out a heavy sigh, looking away from the mural and instead up at Mustafa.

"The Mbinguni may not hold stock in you, my lady. But I can assure you we Shadow Marozi do and _that_ is why we will make sure no harm comes to this land." Mustafa squeezed her shoulder softly with the digits of her paw, trying to physically gift her the strength the lioness felt for the little cub. Griselda's smile was weak and waning like her spirit. "I believe in you, love."

"I believe in you too," Tabasamu told her, flanking her other side and touching the princess with his own shoulder. Griselda nodded at him, she was relieved to have their support even if she was growing tired.

"Thank you, it means the entire savanna to me. Truly," Griselda said.

Mustafa stepped back from the princess and spoke, "We better get you back to the temple. It's late and you need your rest, Griselda."

She wasn't looking forward to going back home in that moment, the scrutiny of the kingdom who thought her a big joke brandishing painfully into her heart and mind. The critical ire of her mother Maisha and the unfair treatment of those who did not meet the standards the queen enforced. And now all this heavyweight settled on her shoulders burdening her… Griselda would have to silently grin and bare it as a good princess should.

"Okay," she agreed, Griselda getting to her paws.

"And _you…_ " Mustafa narrowed her sights on Tabasamu who balked slightly under his mentor's stern gaze. "I want you to go to sleep, you've studied enough. I'm honored you want to succeed but the mind is only as sharp as you are rested."

"Yes, kage Mustafa," he said, Griselda could tell by the twitch of his tail the lad wanted to protest. You didn't talk back to Mustafa, everybody knew it was a mistake. He straightened up and looked at Griselda. "It was good seeing you again, princess. I hope we can meet up soon in the future under… better circumstances."

Griselda smiled softly at her friend. "I'm sure that can be arranged, right Mustafa?" She gave the Shadow Marozi a pleading glance that the lioness nodded her head at.

"Of course, my lady," Mustafa told her. "He has been working very hard lately, a break or two would do him good."

"Have a goodnight, Tabasamu." Griselda leaned over to lick his cheek, pulling away to smile at him. The gray cub touched his cheek before nodding dumbly.

"Yeah, night…"

Mustafa lead Griselda away, escorting the princess down the dark tunnels. The elder lioness gave her a mischievous chuckle. "I think you broke my apprentice, princess."

Griselda sheepishly pinned her ears. "He knows it was just to be friendly, Mustafa."

"You don't understand young men fully yet, do you?"

She huffed, flushing red beneath her off white colored fur. "I know plenty about boys. You forget I've got to marry a suitor someday. I've met enough lions."

Mustafa shook her head in a fond manner. "Of course, my lady." She didn't press the conversation further much to Griselda's relief, walking close to her personal attendant as to not get lost in the dark.

They came across a sentry near the maw of the cave who bowed as both kage and princess padded past. "Have a good night, your majesty." Griselda wished the marozi felt no need to bow but she knew it was traditional importance. It didn't mean she had to like it though.

By now it was entirely dark, the sky jet black and full of stars. The night brought a chill and without thought shuffled closer to Mustafa for warmth. Mustafa suddenly stopped, looking surprised as she craned her neck. Griselda peered over the tall grass best she could with her smaller size.

"What is it, Mustafa?"

"I believe your father Obi is out in the hills tonight," Mustafa mused, glancing back down at her.

"Father? Really?" The princess pushed ahead of Mustafa, wanting to go see him. Usually it wasn't common for her mother and father to be out and about so late, it was considered too risky for royalty to roam the darkness.

The white lion was clear as day, his bright vibrant coat a stark contrast to the dark night that cloaked everything. He was sitting, relaxed as he took in the cool breeze. Griselda approached him with eager paws. Mustafa stopped at a polite distance, bowing her head to him.

"Father! Why are you out here?" Griselda curiously asked.

"I was waiting up for you, my little snowflake." The king stood up, smiling as he kissed her forehead gently with his tongue. "Your mother told me you went to see Mustafa, I knew you would be back eventually."

"You really shouldn't be out alone like this, my liege," Mustafa murmured her concern, gazing at Obi.

"Knowing your Shadow Marozi I know I'm never truly alone, your father Hanbaboon secured the area for me," Obi assured her, his arms now full of Griselda as the princess comfortably settled herself between them. "I'm safe, Mustafa."

"I'm glad for that, father always took good care of you," Mustafa said, relaxing her muscles at the mention of Hanbaboon.

"He took good care of _both_ of us growing up," Obi corrected, a nostalgic gleam to his eye. "It's why I knew you would be the perfect choice to nanny my daughter."

"You speak too highly of me, my king." Mustafa smiled at him, uncharacteristically sheepish for a moment.

Obi quirked his muzzle into a small smile at the lioness, history older than Griselda knew bounding the two together. Mustafa's father had once served as Obi's personal attendant, much like his daughter did now for Griselda. As Hanbaboon also bore a similarly aged Mustafa, the two lions shared a childhood together. They truly were friends forged through the most tender of means.

"You deserve such praise, old friend." Obi looked pleased with himself before laying himself down on the grass. "I think we shan't retire to bed just yet, lady Mustafa. The stars look beautiful tonight."

Griselda relished the delay in returning to the temple, beaming up at her father.

Mustafa nodded. "I will patrol the perimeter for you two then, perhaps speak with my father should I see him." The Shadow Marozi leaned over to touch Griselda with her nose before sweeping low into a respectful bow to Obi. "Good night princess Griselda and king Obi. Call me if you need to, please."

"Of course, thank you for bringing my daughter safely back." Obi smiled down at Griselda.

"My life is yours," Mustafa said in a soft voice, standing up once more before turning to disappear into the thick and tall savanna grass.

Griselda watched Mustafa as she left, feeling a swell of sadness as her guardian disappeared from her side. Obi rested his cheek against Geiselda's head, picking up on his daughter's anxiety. "Do not fret, Griselda. You know Mustafa never goes too far."

"She's very dedicated to the crown," she murmured.

"No, she is very dedicated to _you._ She loves you like her own flesh and blood that woman." Obi cast his eyes to the stars above. "There is no one finer than she of all the lions I've known."

There was a silence before she felt a question itch at her. Her mind drifted to Chausiku and the voices from the spirit world that Griselda often heard in visions and dreams. She knew plenty of how her mother felt of it, balderdash and flimflam the entirety of it. Obi was always more open minded but it did not change the fact being the heritage he was raised with. He was not nearly as cold over his thoughts of her Miracle Eyes and what lay beyond the horizon, however neither did the king believe her like the Shadow Marozi so faithfully.

"Father, do you believe in spirits?" Griselda asked Obi, laying between his gray colored paws. Her father looked away from the stars to let his green eyes rest on Griselda.

"When we die we go to grass and cease to be." Obi ran his paw through the foliage in question as if to emphasize it.

"But Mustafa says we go to the stars to guide the next generation" Griselda's eyes roved the heavens, taking in each star with careful attention.

"My little snowflake you must remember her culture is not our culture." His words were gentle but they still left a soft sting to Griselda's heart.

"Why can't it be?" Geiselda bemused, suddenly bold. Maisha would surely have a stroke had her mother been there. "Her people are also _our_ people, aren't they? We took their land, hunt their food and water, so why couldn't we also take their culture too?"

Obi seemed surprised at the words she spoke and for a moment he needed to get his composure back in order to answer his daughter truthfully. "It's just not our way," Obi told her, patient and not without any patronizing to his voice. Calm and deep as it always was. "We are completely different from one another, I respect Mustafa's practices and beliefs but they aren't ours."

"It could be, father…" Griselda trailed off, sighing listlessly. _It would make everyone believe me much easier,_ she added in her thoughts. _Instead they think their princess is sick and crazy!_

"My little snowflake," the white lion began, meeting her crestfallen face with a tender smile. "We don't listen to the zebra when they say the grass is how we all should live by, yes?"

"Yes…"

"And the wildebeest and antelope when they insist those with horns are the ones who should lay claim to the hills?"

Griselda said nothing but nodded her head to show she was listening. Obi continued, "In that way we don't live like the prey we also don't abide by the beliefs of the marozi. We respect them but it does not mean we live by them."

He paused.

"Do you understand, Griselda?"

It was in that moment she truly knew that between both her parents she was entirely alone, despite the tender love and care of her father, there was nothing she could really do to make the king and queen see things her way.

"Crystal, father…"

* * *

 **Name meanings:**

I forgot to include this last chapter, oops.

Mafuta: "Fat"

Binti: "Daughter"

Maha: "Beautiful eyes" OR "wild cow"

Uma: "Second daughter"

Ibilisi: "Devil"

Tabasamu: "Beautiful smile"

Chausiku: "Born at night"


End file.
